Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-07-22

The following is from the pen of Yves
ley Bradshaw, Esq, and makes a fitting
companion to "Washington's Vision, :"
which sketch, written by the same au-
thor, at the commencement of our ma
tional difficulties, was widely copied by
the press, and commended by Hon. Ed
ward Everett, as teaching a highly i'm
portant lesson to every true lover of his
country. y Exchange.
Two o'clock of the third night after
Gen. McClellan's arrival i'll Washington
to take command of the United States
army, found that justly celebrated SOL
der porting over several maps and re-
ports of scouts. AS the hour came toll
ing through the night, together with the
dull rumbling of army wagons and ar
tillery wheels, the wearied hero, pushing
from him his maps and reports, leaned
his forehead on his folded arms upon the
table before him, and fell into a sleep, so
deep that even the occasional booming of
the heavy guns, being placed in position
on the entertainments was insufficient to
disturb it.
81 could not have been slumbering
thus more than ten minutes" said the
General to an intimate friend to whom
he related the strange narrative, ''when
thought the door Of my room, which |
had carefully locked was thrown sud-
denly open, and some one strobe to me,
and, laying a hand upon my shoulder,
said, in a slow, solemn voice:
General Mcclellan, do you sleep at
your post? Rouse, you, or ere it can be
prevented, the foe will be in Washing
tom"
Never before in my life have l heard Il
voice possessing the commanding and
even terrible tone of the one that ad-
dressed to me these words. And the
sensation that passed through me, as it
fell upon my cars, and / coweringly,
shrunl into myself at the thought of my
own negligence / can only compare it to
the whlstling, shricking sweep of a
storm of grapcshot, discharged directly
through my brain. could not move,
however, although I tried hard to raise
my head from the table. AS sense of
my willingness, and yet helplcssness to
make an answer to the unknown in
truder, oppressed me, l once more heard
the same slow, solemn voice repeat:
General Mcclellan, do you sleep at
your post"
There was a popularity about it this
time; it seemed as though---a mere atom
of watcr-was suspended in the centre
of an infinite space, and that the voice
came from a hollow distance all around
me. AS the last word was uttered |
rcgaincd by some felt and yet unknown
power, my volition, and with the
change, the grapcshot discharge sensa-
ton in my brain ceased, and strange
but new one seized my heart, one as if
a huge, rough iciclc was being sawed
back and forth through and through
me.
started up, or rather should say l
thought started up, for whether was
awake or asleep, am unable to decide.
My first thought was about my maps,
and before my cycids had half opened,
my hand was grasping them. But this
was all. The table was still before me,
and the maps all crumplcd in my tight
cning clutch, were still before me, but
everything else had disappeared. The
furniture was gone, the walls of the
apartment were gone, the ceiling was
not to be seen. All saw was the tab
leau / am about to describe to you.
My gaze was turned southwark, and
there, spread out before me- was a living
map; yes, living map; that is the only
expression | can think of rs BETTING tho
scene In one grand coup d niI, my eve
took in the whole cXpanse of country, as
far south as the Gulf of Mexico, and
from the Atlantic ocean on the east, tC
the Mississippi river westwardly.
Before fully fixing my attention upon
the immense scene, however. | thought
of the mysterious visitant, whose voice
had heard but a moment previous, and
looked toward him. An apparitior
stood on my left somewhat in front, at q
distance of about six feet from me
sought for his features, hoping to rccog-
nizc him. But was disappointed, fol
the statuc-likc figure was naught but 4
vapor, a cloud having only the general
outlines of Il man. This troubled me,
and was turning the matter over in my
mind, when the shadowy visitor in the
same slow, solemn tone us before, said
General Mcclellan, your time is short
Look to the southwark
/ felt unable to resist the command
even had | wished to do so, and again
therefore, my eyes were cast on the liv
ing map.
Out on the Atlantic I saw the variou.
vessels of the blockading squadron loom
ing up with the most perfect distinctnes!
ill the bright moonshinc, that illuminated
everything with strong but mellow
light. ! saw Charleston harbOr and it,
forts, with their pacing scntinels, ant
their sulen-looking barbette guns. Ny
eyes followed the ocean line all the way
round into the Gulf to New Orleans, ant
thence up the Mississippi Fort Pickens
and in fact, every fertilization along this
water boundary, l beheld with as mucl
distinctness as you, sir, see that corpor
ais guard passing. there.
This sight filed me with delightful
surprise but it would be utterly impossi
BILE for me to describe the ccstatic amaze
ment that followed, as within the limit
mention, my eyes took in, in minut
out lightning-Iike detail, every mountain
range, every hill, every valley, every
forest, every meadow, every river, every
city, every camp, every tent, every body
of men, every sentinel, every earthwork,
every cannon, and 1 may say, dispensing
with futher detail every living and
every dead thing, no matter what its
bulk or height
My blood seemed to stop in its chan
nels, with joy, as I thought that the
knowledge, and thereby the advantage,
thus given to me, would insuroa speedy
and happy termination of the war And
thIa nran Inn -, ,s,,I